5 most successful captains in Test cricket

Cricket is a team sport, requiring all 11 players to contribute for a side to be successful. However, the captain is the most important person in the dressing room, with every team's playing style often imitating their captain's nature.

The captain motivates the players and makes important decisions on the field that can turn 50-50 situations in his team's favour.

Test cricket is generally considered the hardest format of the Gentleman's Game. It tests a player's character and grit as well as his ability.

In this list, we list the 5 players who have won the most Test matches as captain of their respective sides. As expected, some of the best players of all time grace this list.

---

#5 Allan Border, Australia 1984-1994

Allan Border was responsible for transforming a struggling Australian side into future world champions. The outstanding batsman led his country in a total of 93 Tests out of which he won 32. He remains the only batsman to have scored two 150s in the same Test, a feat he achieved in a match against Pakistan in 1979-80.

However, he was no mug with the ball. He still remains the only Australian captain to have taken a 10-wicket haul in a Test match, a feat he achieved against the fearsome West Indies team of 1988-89, finishing the match with figures of 11 for 96.

#4 Clive Lloyd, West Indies 1974-1985

Clive Lloyd captained the great West Indies teams of the 1970s and 1980s

Clive Lloyd transformed the West Indies cricket team and made them the dominating force we remember them as. His 70 sixes over the course of his Test career, the 14th highest by any player, are a reflection of the attacking mentality he and his team embodied.

Lloyd captained the West Indies team 74 times, winning 36 of those matches. He was appointed captain in 1974-75 before a tour of India and this is what he had to say about being captain:

“When the news sank in, I came to believe that in appointing me the West Indies were looking for some kind of long-term leadership. So I decided that the job of leading the West Indies should be taken with utmost seriousness and I set myself a number of goals. The first priority was clearly the need for team unity …In return I was able to offer them assurances that I would work to improve their position. I started out from the premise that I wanted West Indies cricket and West Indies cricketers to be treated with respect.”

Clearly, he was a man who took up the responsibility with the utmost importance. His captaincy and leadership qualities paved the way for an era of West Indies dominance.

#3 Steve Waugh, Australia 1999-2004

Steve Waugh was captain only for five years

The Test captain with the best win percentage, Steve Waugh won an incredible 41 matches out of the 57 in which he led Australia. His win percentage of 71.92 demonstrates just how dominant his side were.

He holds the world record for most consecutive Test victories as captain (16).

#2 Ricky Ponting, Australia 2004-2010

Ponting captained the Aussies for close to seven years

Ricky Ponting took over the reins from Steve Waugh and while he did not fare better than his predecessor in terms of win percentage, he did win more games. Ponting captained Australia in 77 Test matches, out of which they won 48.

He has an impressive win percentage of 62.33% and was the captain of the side during the "golden era" of Australian cricket. However, his record in the Ashes is rather disappointing. Ponting also holds the record for being the only Australian Test captain to have led his team to three separate Ashes series defeats.

#1 Graeme Smith, South Africa 2003-2014

The former Proteas captain won a record 53 Tests as captain

Graeme Smith holds the record for having played the most Tests as captain, with 109 matches, 53 of which he won. Smith was gritty and indomitable, a leader who took over the reins at the age of 22 and led South Africa to the No. 1 Test ranking.

He became South Africa’s youngest captain and the fourth-youngest in the game’s history. Smith scored a record 15 Test hundreds as a captain in wins. Another astounding record is that South Africa never lost a Test when Smith scored a hundred.